We asked three different designers and architects to take up the challenge of a fictitious brief for an area in a department store…

The brief

You have been commissioned by a primarily fashion and brand-based city centre department store with a target audience of 25-45-year-olds. The client wants to bring all of its hats together from different brands into one area. You have a perimeter site to work with. The wall space is 4m wide and 3.5m high. In front of this wall the space extends 2.5m into the store. The client is looking for a real statement that displays as many hats as possible in an exciting a way as possible. The space should also be able to change four times a year to reflect the seasons and appropriate stock. The hats themselves are from fashion brands (not formal or sportswear).

Platform

The Concept: ‘Ravensdesk’ is a fantasy world of hats where the unexpected meets the inexplicable in an Alice in Wonderland-type riddle of colour, texture and pattern. It’s a place where designers are unafraid to experiment with all things millinery.

Design: Display cogs, derived from the mechanical workings of a Victorian sewing machine, move to a certain point, and then in turn urge the next cog to move circularly around, showcasing the other brands of hats.

The branding positioned on the edge of the stand represents the eclectic and stylised feel of brands colliding and interweaving to create an over-arching, recognisable, fashion label.

A juxtaposition of patterns and textures, traditional and new, represent the diversity of inspiration. Candy-striped patterned flooring grounds the features.

Large light bulbs mimic the circular shape of the main cog, hus creating an interesting light attractor to the space. Giant hat pins fixed into the floor create a forest showcasing current season’s hat trends.

Interchangeable graphics on the back wall makes it simple to change with every season. The graphic style is a collage of real photography against three-dimensional objects, such as a large hanging mirror.

Anthropomorphic mannequins with rabbit heads positioned around the space add to the playfulness of being in a fantasy world.

Baroque-inspired furniture pieces add functionally as counter and seating.

As shop-in-shop concessions battle for presence in an increasingly competitive landscape, it is vital to create a space that is unique, exciting, playful and imaginative, even in the smallest of areas.

Stepping into an imaginary world gives the customer a more memorable experience.

Neu architects

The shop is both an illusion of space and a joyful celebration of fine millinery. Its central sculptural features catch the ephemeral shapes in a playful way as they replicate the cunning and efficient beauty of a spider’s web. Hats are grasped from the wind by their tendons and displayed for those sufficiently adventurous to enter the world they inhabit.

The stark angular lines grow out of the confines of the cube in an attempt to break free from the shackles of its custody. There is a deliberate intention to invite the vendee into a threatening world where only those who are brave enough will be rewarded with the final expression of who they are.

The finishes in the proposal are as follows: The flooring is constructed from digitally printed and sealed white resin. The ceiling is formed from a printed, stretched Barrisol, which also conceals the ambient lighting. Two of the walls are clad in a laminated white and clear glass with the artwork sealed between the layers. The third wall is mirrored, contributing to the illusion of the space but also serving a practical function for the act of trying on hats.

The custom-made metalwork serves as the furniture, finished in black rubber with clip-on hat holders. Hats are displayed at random or organised into groups or fashion brands by placing the fixture clips on to the main framework.

BDGworkfutures

The wearing of formal hats has been in decline since the Second World War, along with the demise of the associated etiquette. Less formal hats are currently the popular choice, and their lack of structure can make it harder for them to be attractively displayed in a retail environment. Buying a hat is a morecomplicated transaction for many consumers and possibly one where they feel more self-conscious, so it is important that this is considered in the design.

We have introduced a paneled wall system finished in a slick, white lacquer to create a quality blank canvas for the hats to be shown off to their full potential. Different scales of panels interspersed with essential mirrors add dimension and texture.

The intrinsic lighting system not only defines the space to create a more intimate feel, it can also be inexpensively altered to create different moods and enhance the product that is on offer, depending on seasons and colours.

The hats sit on a system of androgynous egg-shaped structures to display the hats in a contemporary manner. To maximise this relatively small space we have used all the perimeter walls for display and introduced an extra island to provide additional space for seasonal promotions. The cashpoint is brought into the space for a more personal and boutique-style service in keeping with a traditional milliner.

This article was first published in FX Magazine.